Houghton Lake Flats Flooding State Wildlife Management Area is a protected marsh and wetland complex in northern Michigan west of Houghton Lake, managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Its artificially restored habitat covers 1,830 acres in two sections, North Flooding and South Flooding, divided by Yeager Road and fed by waters from Houghton Lake and the Muskegon River. Especially noted on the AuSable Birding Trail, the area supports at least 165 bird species, including waterfowl, ospreys, herons, egrets, bald eagles, and the relatively rare Kirtland's warbler, along with mammals and turtles. An observation deck built in 1998 gives sweeping marsh views, and hunting and fishing are allowed.